Who Changed the Sabbath to Sunday?

Many are asking what day is the Sabbath or who changed the Sabbath. How often do you hear that the Sabbath was changed to Sunday based upon Acts 20:7 despite what history reveals? You are about to discover beyond all doubt that this meeting was not even on Sunday and that breaking bread was not communion here. You may also hear some say that Constantine was not responsible for the change of the Sabbath to Sunday. This is also incorrect as the final change did in fact begin with his first Sunday law. Read on for the rest of the real story that the proponents do not want you to hear.

Paul exhorts in the following verse that Circumcision is nothing in comparison to the Ten Commandments. “Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the Commandments of God.” 1 Corinthians 7:19. Since there are more than forty verses and up to ten verses at a time stating that Circumcision of the flesh is a yoke of bondage and abolished, how many scriptures would you expect stating the Sabbath was abolished or changed to Sunday? Perhaps seventy or more?

The fact is there is not even one verse that says, “The Sabbath is abolished or is now Sunday.” The Ten Commandments are the only thing that God personally spoke in such inconceivable fiery majesty, thundering His voice from the mountain top while everyone trembled in fear below, and then personally etched this magnificent law into stone tablets with His own finger. Yet there is not one clear scripture! Just a couple of erroneous assumptions. One of God's Commandments supposedly changes or is abolished and we do not have even one clear verse. Why not? The answer is simple. It was never abolished or changed to Sunday by the authority of God so no such scripture exists. It was changed to Sunday by Satan through idolatrous sun worship, hence the name SUN-day. Sunday -Dies solis (Latin) which means “day of the sun” from which we get Sunday. The English names for the days of the week are pagan names. In over 100 other languages around the world, Saturday is still called the Sabbath just as God named it at creation. This can be dated as far back as Babel in Genesis 11 where Saturday was recognized as the Sabbath day and was incorporated into the very name of the day. See the table below and note the names of the week days for the older languages. This is also very relevant for the argument that the Sabbath was changed to Sunday in the Bible.

What Day is the Sabbath according to History?

Below is a Table of the Week (Showing the position of the true Sabbath). Apart from Latin and English, unless otherwise stated the name of the Seventh day means “Sabbath.”

This table includes some of the oldest languages known to man. The Babylonian language for instance was in use hundreds of years before the Hebrew race was founded by Abraham. That language designated the seventh day of the week as “sa-ba-tu”, meaning Sabbath or rest day and is another indisputable proof that the Sabbath was not and is not exclusively Jewish. Very few realize that the word Sabbath and the concept of resting from work on the seventh day of the week (Saturday) is common to most of the ancient and modern languages of the world. This is evidence totally independent of the Scriptures that confirms the Biblical teaching that God's Seventh day Sabbath predates Judaism. The concept of a Saturday holy day of rest was understood, accepted and practiced by virtually every culture from Babylon through modern times. In the study of the many languages of mankind you will find two important facts:

1. In the majority of the principal languages, the last or seventh day of the week is designated as “Sabbath.”2. There is not even one language which designates another day as the “day of rest.”

The proponents that state the Sabbath was changed to Sunday in the Bible are looking for something that does not exist and something that would contradict the words of Jesus if it did. Since History is also so clear on how the day was changed, then these proponents can only be doing one thing. If they admit the Sabbath was changed by persecution and force then they have to admit that they are worshipping on the wrong day. However, this group does not want to do that so they search the scriptures for some verse that they can make an assumption on to try and say that the Sabbath was changed to Sunday in the Bible. Of course you also get the other groups that will tell you the fourth Commandment was abolished using one of hundreds of different reasons. Then there is another group that found that they could not prove from the Bible that the fourth Commandment was abolished and so they attempt to prove that ALL Ten Commandments were abolished. When you have the inconsistency of Christians teaching that it is either Ten, Nine or Zero Commandments or the day was changed, you know something is definitely very wrong and God's law is under attack. Daniel 7:25 also tells us that the little horn would change God's law and persecute the Christian saints, and of course they did both just as we are told. This also seems to be conveniently ignored or misunderstood. Watch a true story on the
death of a Sabbath keeper.

Sunday cannot be the Sabbath

Before covering the real truth on the Sabbath to Sunday change, let's look further at the Bible weekly day names. In Biblical times, the days of the week were basically called 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th or Preparation and Sabbath. The numbering of the days actually revolved around the Sabbath as shown in the above table. The verses translated “first day of the week” are actually saying first day after the Sabbath. This in itself says that these days were NOT the Seventh day Sabbath! The phrase “first day of the week” in the King James Version uses the Greek words “mia” (first) “ho he to” (of the) “sabbaton” (Sabbath). The word day is an added word and does not exist in the Greek. So the phrase more correctly reads “first [day] of the sabbath” which for clarity could be translated as first day after the Sabbath or first day of the week. John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible (1690-1771) commenting on Matthew 28:1 on the phrase first day of the week says: “towards the first day of the week, or “sabbaths”; so the Jews used to call the days of the week, the first day of the sabbath, the second day of the sabbath, &c. take an instance or two (z).” There would not be many people today who would understand the meaning of the phrase first of the Sabbath or second of the Sabbath etc, and so it is typically translated as first day of the week. Thus Luke in this case is saying that this day is the first day AFTER the Sabbath and hence is also saying that this day is NOT the Sabbath. It is in fact NOT possible to say that the Sabbath is Sunday due to the very names of the days of the week since they are actually named around the Sabbath and so the first day of the week can NEVER be the Sabbath. This blows both “first day of the week” arguments right out of the water before we even start.

Satan's typical perpetuated excuse for the above facts is, “Yes, the Sabbath is still Saturday but we worship on Sunday now!” To begin with, the Sabbath cannot be so called when what makes it the Sabbath is done on another day now can it? While those taking this path may feel comfortable with this reasoning, don't they realize that God will not accept such nonsense?

The image here is the upper portion of the Nestorian Stone (Hsian monument), discovered by Jesuit missionaries in 1625 AD in the province of Shensi in China. The title of the stone reads, “A monument commemorating the propagation of the Ta-Chin luminous religion (Christianity) in the middle kingdom.” The day of the stone's erection was called, “ta vao shen wan ji” meaning, “the great first of the Sabbath day.” The use of Jewish terms for the days of the week in the heart of China indicates the powerful influence of the Nestorian Church in Asia.

Would God tell us if He changed the Sabbath to Sunday?

God's Ten Commandments do not change on assumptions. If I told you that the sixth Commandment that says “thou shalt not murder” was changed because I saw in the Bible where one Christian killed another and no one said anything, would you believe me? Not a chance! And why not? Because this would be absurd reasoning and a ridiculous assumption! If we see the mention of what we think is a Sunday meeting in the Bible and say the Sabbath is now Sunday, what do we call that? The very same thing! Besides the witness of history, the names of the days, and the fact that Jesus said that not even a jot or a tittle was going to pass from the law, do we really think we have to make assumptions to decide if one of the Ten Commandments of God has changed? Of course not! There is no way that any of the Ten Commandments that define sin would change without the Bible absolutely SCREAMING the change at us so loudly the Earth would move! See also misunderstandings on Jesus fulfilling the law.

So what about those wrong conclusions or assumptions from the proponents who apparently did not understand or examine Acts 20:7 to closely or never intended to? Apart from Acts 20:7, there is also one other verse that says “first day of the week” that is less commonly used as supposed proof that the Sabbath was changed to Sunday in the Bible. This is the worst of the two assumptions that one can only describe as an absolute abuse of scripture. The expression “lay by him in store” in 1 Corinthians 16:2 means putting aside at home or to store goods away. It would be a rather strange expression for passing around an offering plate don't you think? The needs at the time were clothing and food etc, which would be taken from the field or storage. Famine conditions and the need for clothing were not unusual in areas of the Middle East, as Luke reminds us in Acts 11:28-30. This explains Paul's counsel to the Corinthians to do their work on the first day of the week, “so that there be no gatherings when I come.” Such work as gathering and storing up produce from the field would certainly not be appropriate on the Sabbath. The request would have been made during the previous Sabbath meeting and the first opportunity would be the first day of the week or should we say the first day after the Sabbath.

With Acts 20:7 it is claimed that the Sabbath must have been changed to Sunday because the verse says they are breaking bread on the first day if the week. You frequently hear statements like, “It is well documented that the early church adopted Sunday as their day of worship based on Acts 20:7.” But how often do you also hear Acts 2:46 quoted when Acts 20:7 is used as the supposed conclusive proof that the Sabbath was changed to Sunday in the Bible? Those who study their Bible will have also read Acts 2:46 that says they did this every day of the week! I also know of several large Churches that hold worship services on Sabbath and Sunday and both include communion. Can we hold a Church meeting on any day of the week? Can we partake of communion everyday of the week? The answer as you already know is yes to both. So on that premise alone, how could one say this proves the Sabbath was changed to Sunday? We cannot. It is a very bad assumption that gives God no credit for wisdom, intelligence or being fair. My God would tell me if He changed one of His Commandments that defines what sin is. He would not leave me to play guessing games on something that affects my salvation. What sort of a God would do that? So why is it that the proponents find Acts 20:7 but miss Acts 2:46? The answer is simple. Most people hate change and especially major changes to their lifestyle. This makes it easier for our adversary to push the majority away from the truth. So is the Seventh day Saturday or every day of the week? We can certainly worship God everyday but if we kept the Sabbath everyday, we would not be Holy, we would be LAZY. God said to keep the Seventh day and He has NEVER told us to the contrary and until such time that He does, that is what we should be doing. It is SIN not to do so and wilful, unrepented sin can have no forgiveness. See Hebrews 10:26-29.

Acts 20:7 Breaking Bread or a Fellowship Meal and was it Sunday or Saturday Night?

In Biblical days, the first day of the week did not start at midnight but at sunset. All Bible days begin and end at sunset. This meeting was after sunset and before midnight on the first day of the week. This meeting was in fact on what we would call Saturday night or Saturday evening. So much for a Sunday meeting anyway! Paul was about to depart the next day and so this was a Sabbath meeting that had been extended very late into the night. So much so that Eutychus fell asleep (Acts 20:9) while listening to Paul's long hours of preaching, and fell out the window. The Greek word parateino translated continued in Acts 20:7 means to (to stretch); to extend along, that is, prolong (in point of time).

Because so many are familiar with the term “breaking bread” being used with communion, it has become a mind set to associate this term with communion. But this is another wrong assumption. Breaking of bread was actually done at every meal. When bread was eaten at a meal, one would take the bread from the table and break of a piece. The last supper with Christ was also a meal and the bread was broken just as it would have at any other meal. The only difference was that Jesus used the bread and the wine as an analogy at the same time. The following two verses demonstrate this well. In the first verse Jesus breaks bread and feeds the multitudes and the second is the Lord's Supper. Both involved giving thanks and breaking the bread. One was communion and one was not. There is a lot of confusion over this issue among Christians and even some theologians. In any case, this took place on Saturday night and this is something that many have failed to notice. The Greek word used in both instances is also the same.

Matthew 15:36 “And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.”1 Corinthians 11:24 “And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.”

Note how the Good News Bible translates the breaking of bread to the “fellowship meal” and note also how this Bible and the New English Bible translates “first day of the week” to “Saturday evening” and “Saturday night” to avoid confusion for the reader.

Acts 20:7 KJV “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.”Acts 20:7 GNB “On Saturday evening we gathered together for the fellowship meal. Paul spoke to the people and kept on speaking until midnight, since he was going to leave the next day.”Acts 20:7 NEB “On the Saturday night, in our assembly for the breaking of bread, Paul, who was to leave next day, addressed them, and went on speaking until midnight.”

Acts 2:46 KJV “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,”Acts 2:46 GNB “Day after day they met as a group in the Temple, and they had their meals together in their homes, eating with glad and humble hearts,”

After Eutychus fell asleep and fell out the window, Paul went downstairs, prayed over him and the Lord restored his life. Paul then went back up stairs and preached ALL night as he was leaving them first thing in the morning. Paul was hungry and no doubt so were those who were listening. Would they have had bread and refreshments to get them through the night? Of course. Paul says that if we take of the Lord's Supper to satisfy our hunger we take it to our condemnation (1 Corinthians 11:34). The context of the verse is that this was done for sustenance to get through a long night of preaching and was not done in reverence. In any case, this was a Saturday meeting that extended right through the night to Sunday morning and so it is not really relevant if this were communion or not but it seems more likely that it was just a meal.

Acts 20:11 “When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.”

Here is one more circumstance where food was required for strength and is definitely not communion but here we have Paul giving thanks and breaking bread again. This was a meal for strength and survival.

Acts 27:34-36 “Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head. 35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. 36 They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves.”

Why are the proponents so desperate to prove a lie?The proponents of the Sabbath to Sunday change are so desperate to justify why they can keep Sunday as the Sabbath, that many are now looking for any event that they think may have occurred on a Sunday and saying this is their so called proof. It grieves me how Satan always manages to find someone he can use to do his bidding and attack God's Commandments. The latest supposed proof that the Sabbath was changed to Sunday in the Bible is based on Pentecost being a Sunday, and so they now quote a variety of verses from Acts chapter 2. This chapter in fact does not mention the first day of the week even once. Pentecost falls on the 50th day after Passover each year, but the fact is that Passover falls on a different day every year and hence so does Pentecost. Just because it or any other event happens to fall on a Sunday sometimes does not make it a new day of worship. Pentecost fell on different days every year prior to that in both the Old and New Testament, but the Sabbath still remained on the Seventh Day!

These deceived Christians have gone as far as to say that the early Church met habitually on the first day of the week based on scriptures such as Acts chapter 2, Acts 20:7 and 1 Corinthians 16:2 and as we have seen so far, every argument has been a desperate attempt at proving a lie. Their argument is also that if the early Church did meet habitually on the first day of the week then the real truth on how the day was changed must be wrong. It grieves me to have to answer one more fallacy but the truth must be triumphant and Satan's lies exposed. Those who believe that the Sabbath was changed to Sunday in honour of the resurrection also typically cite John 20:19, which is the upper room meeting of the disciples on the same day Jesus arose from the grave. They say this gathering on the first day of the week was to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. But when we read the Bible record of the event, we discover that the circumstances were quite different. Luke tells us that, even though the disciples were confronted with the eyewitness story of Mary Magdalene, they “believed not.” Mark 16:12-14 states, “After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them. Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.” None of these disciples believed Jesus was raised so how could they have been joyously celebrating His resurrection? This is yet another shameful attempt at proving the Sabbath had changed. God's law does not change on assumptions, though this one is an outright deception! John explains their reason for being together, “…the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews…” John 20:19.

What day is the Sabbath according to Paul?

Did Paul keep the Sabbath and if so on what day? Note that we are going to use real Sabbath meeting scriptures and none will be assumptions! Acts 13:42 says “And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.” Paul had just finished preaching on the Sabbath and the Gentiles (NOT the Jews) asked him to preach to them again the next Sabbath. The next Sabbath? If the Sabbath was abolished or changed to Sunday, then why didn't they ask Paul to preach to them the very next day which was Sunday, the first day of the week? But not so! They asked him to come to them the next Sabbath where we see that nearly the whole city came, both Jews and Gentiles. If Sunday was the new day of worship that some erroneously claim then they would have worshipped the very next day but not so! So here is further proof that the proponents are just trying to prove a lie, and this also proves that the Sabbath was a day of worship and that this Sabbath worship was only done on this one special day. Acts 13:44 “And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.”

And here we have Paul preaching three consecutive Sabbath days and hence not on other days and was always for Jews and Gentiles. Acts 17:2 “And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,” Acts 18:4 “And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.”

So what day was Paul keeping as the Sabbath? We also know the answer by the names of the days of the week but let's look at this anyway. Paul was a Pharisee and hence a Jew and followed the Jewish ways to the strictest letter. Acts 26:4-5 “The Jews all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my own country, and also in Jerusalem. They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that according to the strictest sect of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee.” Now notice in the following verse that this is a Jewish synagogue and Jews have all through history, without change, worshipped on Saturday as they still do today. Note that Paul is only seen preaching in the synagogue on Sabbath days and not on any other day. Three consecutive ones here for an example. Acts 17:2 “…they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As his CUSTOM was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures.” It was not only Paul's custom and example to keep the Seventh-day Sabbath in establishing the early Church but that of Jesus also and He is our perfect example. Luke 4:16. There are many such scriptures of Jesus and Paul preaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath but not one single verse exists where anyone preached in the synagogue on the first day of the week!

The Pharisees falsely accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath and are found numerous times being extremely loud over the issue of Sabbath keeping to the point of making the day a burden instead of a blessing. We find Jesus correcting them on this numerous times as a result. If Paul had ever kept any other day than Saturday, the Pharisees would have condemned Paul in an instance. Did this ever happen?

After they arrested Paul and put him on trial before the Sanhedrin, the Pharisees said, “we find no evil in this man” Acts 23:9. Paul stated before Felix, “so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets.” Acts 24:14. To Festus Paul declared, “Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all ... to the Jews have I done no wrong.” Acts 25:8, 10. And to Agrippa Paul said, “I continue unto this day ... saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come.” Acts 26:22. Did the prophets or Moses say that “Sunday keeping should come.” No! Paul finally spoke to the Jews in Rome, “persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.” Acts 28:23. During all of Paul's trials, the Jews not so much as once accused Paul of breaking the Sabbath. Why? Because Paul never did! Paul was a Pharisee since childhood and so there can be no doubt that Saturday is the only day Paul ever kept!

Some say that the Sabbath is not a day of worship but scripture definitely shows otherwise. What day was the custom of Jesus and Paul to preach and worship on? Many Churches today hold worship services on any day of the week but in the beginning it is perfectly clear that they only did this on the Seventh day Sabbath. I am not saying that we cannot worship on other week days but just want you to note that in the days of the early Church, they only held worship services on the Sabbath day. You can consider what this means for yourself but you may like to consider if any of the scriptures we are quoting are assumptions. Are Acts chapter 2, Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2 and John 20:19 assumptions? Do any of these scriptures say, “Paul was preaching in the synagogue on the NEW Sabbath that is now Sunday.” or “Paul was preaching in the synagogue on the first day of the week which is the NEW Sabbath.” or “Jesus changed His mind and now He is going to change His law by more than a jot or a tittle and has changed the Sabbath to Sunday?” If the Sabbath was changed to Sunday in the Bible and the early Church was worshipping habitually on the first day of the week as those deceived try and tell us, there would certainly be no shortage of scriptures showing someone worshipping in the Synagogue (Church) on the first day of the week. However, did you know that there is not one single verse or one single person found worshipping in the Synagogue on the first day of the week anywhere in the Bible? There are however heaps of scriptures that show it was only the Sabbath the early Church habitually worshipped on. Unlike those trying to prove a fallacy, you will note that these scriptures are not assumptions: Mark 1:21, Mark 6:2, Luke 4:16, Luke 6:6, Luke 13:10, Acts 13:14, Acts 13:27, Acts 13:42, 44, Acts 15:21, Acts 17:1-2 and Acts 18:4.

The Sabbath and the New Covenant

The following story also reveals what many do not understand and further proves that a Sabbath to Sunday change in the Bible is absolutely impossible.

I had just finished preaching on the subject of the Sabbath in one of my evangelistic crusades. As I stepped off the platform to greet people as they left, three young men blocked my way in the aisle. One of them addressed me in quite a loud voice… loud enough to cause about fifty people near the front of the auditorium to stop and listen. “Dear brother” he said, “we were disappointed tonight with the way you put us back under the Old Covenant. Don't you realize that we are living under the New Covenant now, and should keep Sunday instead of the Sabbath?” Although most of the congregation were leaving the Church, the group near the front gathered closer to hear all that the young men were saying. It was obvious that I would have to take the time to answer this trio's challenging question. As I suspected, they turned out to be young seminarians in training at a local Bible college. Eagerly they held their Bibles in their hands and waited triumphantly for me to answer. Usually, I do not like to debate controversial matters in a public forum for fear of stirring combative natures, but there seemed no way to avoid dealing with these ministerial students. Anyway, they had my path completely blocked and the circle of listeners looked at me expectantly for some explanation. “Well, it seems as though you have studied the subject of the covenants quite deeply,” I suggested. “Oh, yes,” they affirmed, “we know all about the covenants.” “Good,” I replied. “You undoubtedly know when the Old Covenant was instituted.” One of them spoke up quickly, “It was instituted at Mt. Sinai.” “And how was it ratified?” I asked. Without a moment's hesitation one of them answered, “By the sprinkling of the blood of an ox.” “Very good,” I commented, “and how was the New Covenant ratified?” All three chorused the answer, “By the blood of Jesus on the cross.” I commended the young men for their knowledge of the Scriptures and asked them to read me two verses out of their own Bibles. Galatians 3:15 and Hebrews 9:16-17. They responded eagerly to the invitation, and read the verses, commenting on each one after reading. “We agree that the New Covenant did not go into effect until after Christ died, and nothing can be added or taken away after He ratified it on he cross,” the spokesman for the group asserted. All three nodded their heads emphatically over this point. I said, “Now you must answer two more questions for me. Here is the first one, and you must think carefully to give me the correct answer: When did Sunday-keeping begin?” There was a moment of shocked silence, and then another, and another. The boys looked at each other, and then down at their feet, and then back at me. I gently prodded them for the answer, “Surely you can tell me the answer to this question. You have known all the others, and have answered correctly. When and why do you think people began keeping Sunday?” Finally, one of them said, “We keep Sunday in honour of the resurrection of Jesus.” I said, “Then I must ask you my last question. How could Sunday keeping be a part of the New Covenant? You just stated that nothing could be added after the death of Christ. He died on Friday and was resurrected on Sunday. If Sunday was added after Jesus died, it could never be a part of the New Covenant could it?” The three young men shuffled their feet, looked helplessly around, and one of them said, “We will study into that and talk to you later.” They then fled from that auditorium as fast as they could go and I can assure you that they never returned to talk further about the covenants.

Besides the witness of history and how many died for keeping the Seventh day Sabbath because of the real truth on how the day was changed, there can be no doubt that those who say the Sabbath was changed from Saturday to Sunday based on Acts 20:7 are deceived and are either deliberately trying to avoid the fourth Commandment or just did not bother to study scripture and history. The last thing we need is people assisting Satan in disobeying God's Ten Commandments. My apologies for being direct but it really grieves me to see Christians that claim to love God with all their heart, soul and might, but fight with all their heart, soul and might to bury one of the Ten Commandments of God that is a SIGN that He is our God that we love and worship and God that sanctifies us making us Holy when we keep His Sabbath Holy. Does one really believe we have to try and establish if one of the Ten Commandments changed by going, “Hey! That looks like a Sunday meeting. God must have changed the day,” and how could this be when Jesus said that not one jot or tittle of the law is changing? The fourth is the biggest of the Ten Commandments and a jot or tittle is equivalent to crossing your “T's” and dotting your “I's.”

If God said to you, “I added an extra day of the week at creation just so you can rest and spend really good quality time with me, so will you please put all work to one side on this day and devote it entirely to me?” Would you reply, “no way God, forget it! I have other things to do. It is legalism and to much of an effort, I don't have to do that. That day is not convenient for me but I will spend some time with you on Sunday if you like.” Is this how most would really respond to God? Apparently so, because this is what many Christians are doing when they try to make God's Ten Commandments into nine or even none. The majority are doing this, however, there are many doing this in ignorance because people have deceived them with wrong information that are also deceived or would like others to join them so they feel more comfortable in their act of disobedience. These people spend their time putting up web sites condemning and attacking those who love God and find this day a delight. There is no doubt what spirit is behind this. Acts 20:7 is just one example and you can see just how wrong they are. Below are a few of the other common excuses in brief detail that people come up with to try and avoid the fourth Commandment.

Common Sabbath Day misunderstandings

The Sabbath of the Lord is not a ceremonial sabbath that was practised because of sin. Breaking it or any of the Ten Commandments is sin. The ceremonial law was written in a book and why it was also called the “Book of the Covenant.” This is where God would have written it if it was for Israel only but God wrote it in stone with the other nine Commandments. Have you ever heard the expression it is not written in stone? Written in stone means forever. On paper and in a book is temporary. So put very simply, God had two main laws. One was temporary and only for the Jews and was nailed to the cross. The other was written in stone and was eternal and for everyone. If the Sabbath of the Lord was temporary and only for the Jews, which law would you place it in? Would you place it in the temporary law or the eternal law? So did God place it in the temporary law that was only for the Jews? No! God placed it in the law that was eternal and for everyone! So unless God is the author of confusion, then this alone reveals the truth. God makes a distinction between His Sabbath and the ceremonial sabbaths in the Ten Commandments by exhorting, “But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God:” (Exodus 20:10, Deuteronomy 5:14). It is the Lord's Sabbath! It did not belong to Israel. God further demonstrates this by calling His Sabbath, “My Sabbaths,” as in His weekly Sabbaths, (Exodus 31:13, Ezekiel 20:20) while calling the ceremonial sabbaths that were only for Israel, “Her Sabbaths.” (Hosea 2:11, Lamentations 1:7) Loving God with all your heart and your neighbour as yourself does not turn the Ten Commandments into nine or none. (Matthew 22:35) Jesus said ALL the law hang on these two Commandments as He quoted Deuteronomy 6:5, which is 17 verses after the second reading of the Ten Commandments when no one can argue the fourth Commandment was being kept. The Sabbath has existed since creation (only reason we have a seven day week) before sin and Jews and God asked us to “remember” the day when He personally gave His law and all flesh keep the Sabbath forever in the new Heaven and Earth. (Isaiah 66:22-23) Luke 23:56 says they “rested the Sabbath day according to the Commandment.” and Luke was written 30 to 50 years after the cross. Jesus confirmed the Sabbath would still be kept when the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. (Matthew 24:20) and yet another proof of Sabbath keeping in the New Testament. Leading historians say the Sabbath was kept by everyone until around 90-120 A.D. where persecution for Judaism became so intense that some began keeping Sunday saying it was in honour of the resurrection to avoid persecution. Baptism is the memorial of the resurrection commanded in the Bible. God attested the correct day matters when he tested His children to see if they would keep His Commandments by testing if they would keep THE seventh day. (Exodus 16:4-30) We worship God everyday but if we kept the Sabbath everyday, we would not be Holy, we would be lazy. We should not mock God when He says the Seventh Day by telling Him He is wrong saying we can keep any day or the day does not matter. It is not the Sabbath of the Jews. There were no Jews at creation or when the Ten Commandments were given, and God is not a God of confusion that mixes temporary laws with eternal laws. The Ten Commandments are love and for everyone. This should be obvious to anyone who truly loves God with all their heart! The Ten Commandments or Sabbath were not nailed to the cross according to Colossians 2:16. Paul speaks of the ordinances (ceremonial law) which had yearly ceremonial sabbaths that were nailed to the cross. Galatians 4:10 does not say that we can observe any day or that the Sabbath was bondage. Paul refers to the ceremonial law here also that he called bondage, which it was, and this law did include Days, Times, Months and Years. We cannot decide to keep or not keep the Sabbath based on Romans 14:5, which is about Jews and Gentiles judging one another and was over the yearly feast days of the ceremonial law. Note the following Commentary on Romans 14:5 and how it associates all three of these passages and with the ceremonial law. See also confusion between the Ten Commandments and the ceremonial law.

People's New Testament by B. W. Johnson. One man esteemeth one day above another. A second difference of opinion is now cited. Some, Jewish converts or Gentiles who did not understand that the old covenant was ended, believed that the Jewish [ceremonial] Sabbaths and new moons should be kept sacred. Compare Col 2:16, and Gal 4:10.

While comparing these two passages, note that the ceremonial law (Mosaic Law, Ordinances, Law of Moses etc) had meat and drink offerings, Holy feast (days), new moons (months) and sabbaths (yearly) that were only for the Jews and ended at the cross. See also Adam Clarke and Albert Barnes Commentaries on Colossians 2:14-16 and Albert Barnes and People's New Testament Commentaries on Galatians 4:10 and in addition to People's New Testament above see Adam Clarke's Commentary on Romans 14:5.

When it comes to the fourth Commandment, there seems to be three basic groups of people. Group 1 know the truth and keep all Ten Commandments and state that the fourth Commandment is a blessing and their favourite day of the week. (Isaiah 58:13-14) Group 2, which is comprised of most Churches have one of a 101 different excuses. Group 3 is the Catholic Church and they have only one excuse: “We can change the law of God.” The crazy thing is that group 2 with all their different excuses very rarely know that group 3 changed the Commandment and is why they worship on Sunday. Satan really has this one all wrapped up and claps his hands with glee with the victory he has achieved over this one very special Commandment that is not just about resting but defines who we worship.

Note: Satan has always had a long term plan in attacking the law of God, which should be blatantly obvious to us, and is desperate to keep Christians from discovering the real truth on the fourth Commandment. As a result you will find that he has had no trouble in finding those that he can bring against the truth. The deceived however are fairly easy to spot as they claim the early Church worshipped habitually on the first day of the week based on those few scriptures that we covered and have proven to be nothing but deliberate attempts at proving a lie. They also often attack the issue of sun worship, Constantine and the Catholic Church saying that people quoting the truth cannot make up their mind who changed the Sabbath to Sunday or they even claim that none were involved and deny all the historical quotes while giving some of their own quotes from those who did yield to temptation and began keeping Sunday in honour of the resurrection against God's will. The truth that they usually avoid is that all three played a part in the Sabbath to Sunday change. Also typically quoted are Colossians 2:16, Galatians 4:10 and Romans 14:5. These as you have seen are also quoted in ignorance and if you understand these passages you will be able to easily identify those deceived by those quoting them which thereby demonstrates they have no idea what the truth is. See Colossians 2:14-16 for very detailed information on this passage as well as Galatians 4:10 and Romans 14:5. See also Galatians and the law for truth on a very abused and misunderstood book.

The Sabbath to Sunday change

We now know that the change of the Sabbath to Sunday did not occur in the Bible and the real truth will permanently seal the death of this fallacy. Leading historians say the Sabbath was kept by the majority until at approximately 90-120 A.D. where persecution for Judaism became so intense that some began keeping Sunday saying it was in honour of the resurrection to avoid persecution and death. The first areas where Sunday keeping began was Rome and Alexandria but the exact year is not known. While some of the facts may be somewhat sketchy, there are plenty of solid facts that make it perfectly clear how the day was changed. What is also abundantly clear is that Judaism had become much hated and why some Christians had changed to Sunday in fear of persecution and their lives. Constantine also knew this and with sun worship now being so popular throughout the Roman Empire realized he would not get much opposition to a Sunday change. So here is a brief exegesis on how the Sabbath was changed from Saturday to Sunday. See the origin of Babylon and Sun worship first for a much better understanding of this topic and the real origin of the change.

In Matthew 24:1-2, Jesus predicted that every stone of the Jewish Temple would be “thrown down.” This occurred when the temple was destroyed by the Romans during “The First Jewish War” in 70 A.D. When the Romans made war again with the Jews from 132-135 A.D., the Roman Emperor Hadrian banished all Jews from Palestine. These Jewish Wars took place after the book of Acts was written and resulted in great pressure upon the early Christian Church to move away from anything that “appeared Jewish,” including the Sabbath. Since Sunday was already popular throughout the Roman Empire as a day for sun worship, some Christian leaders (now called the early “Church Fathers”) yielded to temptation and began shifting from “Sabbath to Sunday.” “Jesus Christ rose on Sunday!” became their rationalizing cry. Thus they used the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who “died for our sins” of which sin is the breaking of God's Law (1 John 3:4), as an excuse to break one of the Ten Commandments. Because these early “Church Fathers” yielded to temptation and began keeping Sunday in honour of the resurrection, this also eventually resulted in Sunday being called the Lord's day but it was not and is not the Lord's day as so designated in the Bible. Just like today, these people chose tradition and their own ideas rather then the Commandment of God. (Mark 7:6-9)

Before the Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., a strong Christian Church was planted inside the city of Rome itself in the heart of the Roman Empire. Paul wrote his letter, “The Epistle of Paul to the Romans,” to those early believers “in Rome.” Romans 1:7. But because it was surrounded by paganism inside the world's mightiest capital, this Church soon experienced a “falling away” (see 2 Thessalonians 2:3) from the purity of the gospel and meta morphed into the wealthy and powerful Roman Catholic Church. This transition especially took place during the time of the Emperor Constantine in the 4th century who favoured the Roman Catholic Church above all other Churches.

In 312 A.D., prior to his pivotal victory over his rival Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge, Constantine became a “Christian” after claiming to see in broad daylight a vision of “a cross above the sun” with these words emblazoned, “in hoc signo vinces” (by this sign conquer”). After defeating his enemies and becoming Emperor of Rome, Constantine presided in full royal pomp over the “First Council of Nicea” in 325 A.D.

As a shrewd political genius, his scheme was to unite Christianity and paganism in an effort to strengthen his disintegrating empire. Constantine knew that pagans throughout the empire worshiped the sun on “the first day of the week,” and he discovered that many Christians and especially in Rome and Alexandria also kept Sunday because Christ rose from the dead on that day. So Constantine developed a plan to unite both groups on the common platform of Sunday keeping. On March 7, 321 A.D., he passed his famous national Sunday law:

First Sunday Law enacted by Emperor Constantine - March, 321 A.D.

“On the venerable Day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country, however, persons engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits; because it often happens that another day is not so suitable for grain-sowing or for vine-planting; lest by neglecting the proper moment for such operations the bounty of heaven should be lost. (Given the 7th day of March, Crispus and Constantine being consuls each of them for the second time [A.D. 321].)” Source: Codex Justinianus, lib. 3, tit. 12, 3; trans. in Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol.3 (5th ed.; New York: Scribner, 1902), p.380, note 1.

Now a professed Christian, Constantine nevertheless remained a devout sun worshipper. “The sun was universally celebrated as the invincible guide and protector of Constantine,” notes Edward Gibbon in his classic Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, ch. xx, par. 3.

Constantine even printed coins which “bore on the one side the letters of the name of Christ, on the other the figure of the sun god.” Arthur P. Stanley, History of the Eastern Church, lect. vi, par. 14.

Again, Constantine's promotion of Sunday observance was part of his definite strategy to combine paganism with Christianity: “The retention of the old pagan name of dies Solis, or 'Sunday,' for the weekly Christian festival, is in great measure owing to the union of pagan and Christian sentiment with which the first day of the week was recommended by Constantine to his subjects, pagan and Christian alike, as the ‘venerable day of the Sun.’” Stanley's History of the Eastern Church, p. 184.

In spite of the rising popularity of Sunday sacredness, Church historian Socrates Scholasticus (5th century) wrote: “For although almost all churches throughout the world celebrate the sacred mysteries [of the Lord's Supper] on the Sabbath of every week, yet the Christians of Alexandria and at Rome, on account of some ancient tradition, have ceased to do this.” Socrates Scholasticus, Ecclesiastical History, Book 5, ch. 22. Another historian also confirmed this by stating, “The people of Constantinople, and almost everywhere, assemble together on the Sabbath, as well as on the first day of the week, which custom is never observed at Rome or at Alexandria.” Sozomen, Ecclesiastical History, Book 7, ch. 19. Thus even in the 5th century, Sabbath keeping was universally prevalent (except in Rome and Alexandria), along with Sunday keeping. Many Christians kept both days. But as the centuries wore on, Sunday keeping grew in prominence and especially within Roman Catholic territories.

In 330 A.D., Constantine moved his capital from Rome to Constantinople (modern Istanbul), thus preparing the way for the Roman Catholic Popes to reign in Rome as the successors of Constantine. As the Papal Church grew in power, it opposed Sabbath observance in favour of Sunday sacredness and outlawed resting on the Sabbath in the Council of Laodicea (A.D. 363-364). Constantine's change was accepted by the Papal Church and the Sabbath to Sunday change was well under way. Some correctly teach that Constantine only instituted the first Sunday law, but they very conveniently fail to acknowledge the remainder of the story. See also did Constantine change the Sabbath.

Who changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday?

In the Council of Laodicea around the year A.D. 364, the Catholic Church decreed 59 Canon laws. The following Canon law XXIX is very clear and cannot be disputed. Did the Catholic Church outlaw Seventh day Sabbath keeping? There can be no doubt and even they make no attempt to hide it. Note that this law also reveals the hatred for Judaism. The Jews of course have always kept the Seventh day Sabbath very strictly and some to the point of making it a burden rather than a blessing and this explains a lot. The Pharisees were guilty of doing this and we find Jesus correcting them many times. Canon law number 29 is as follows:

Canon XXIX: “Christians must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honouring the Lord's Day; and, if they can, resting then as Christians. But if any shall be found to be judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ.” (Percival Translation).

Sadly, there is no shortage of professed Christians teaching against the fourth Commandment but thankfully some lose credibility straight away and prove their ignorance by calling it a Jewish Sabbath. This as we saw previously is not only unbiblical but also impossible. Most of the proponents quote only want they want you to see to support their fallacy and so are not likely to quote Canon law XXIX unless done dishonestly. I especially doubt that you will ever find any of the proponents giving the quotes from the Catholic Church shown below as they know their attack on God's law would suddenly lose all credibility. The Catholic Church believe they are above the Word of God and can change the Ten Commandments. This of course is not true. Below are a few quotes on what the Papal Church have to say about the Ten Commandments and being able to change the law of God. The Catholic Church may be wrong on a lot of things but everything about these quotes below is true. When they say they changed the Sabbath to Sunday they are not delusional and they speak truth. See also who changed the Sabbath to Sunday or the History of Sun-Day Worship for more detailed and enlightening information on how Sunday worship actually began 2000 years before Christ and for the origin of 666 the number of the beast.

“The Pope is of great authority and power, that he is able to modify, declare, or interpret even divine laws. The Pope can modify divine law, since his power is not of man, but of God, and he acts as vicegerent of God upon earth...” — Lucius Ferraris, in “Prompta Bibliotheca Canonica, Juridica, Moralis, Theologica, Ascetica, Polemica, Rubristica, Historica”, Volume V, article on “Papa, Article II”, titled “Concerning the extent of Papal dignity, authority, or dominion and infallibility”, #30, published in Petit-Montrouge (Paris) by J. P. Migne, 1858 edition.

Even those responsible for the final change of the Sabbath to Sunday know that those two first day of the week scriptures are not a new day of worship. Note also that they know that 1 Corinthians 16:2 was laying aside goods for charity that would not be done on Sabbath but the first day after.

“St John speaks of the Lord's day (Rev 1:10) but he does not tell us what day of the week that was, much less does he tell us what day was to take the place of the Sabbath ordained in the commandments. St. Luke speaks of the disciples meeting together to break bread on the first day of the week. Acts 20:7. And St. Paul (1 Cor 16:2) orders that on the first day of the week the Corinthians should lay in store what they designated to bestow in charity on the faithful in Judea: but neither the one or the other tells us that this first day of the week was to be henceforth a day of worship, and the Christian Sabbath; so that truly the best authority we have for this ancient custom is the testimony of the church. And therefore those who pretend to be such religious observers of Sunday, whilst they take no notice of other festivals ordained by the same church authority, show that they act more by humor, than by religion; since Sundays and holidays all stand upon the same foundation, namely the ordinance of the (Roman Catholic) church.” — Catholic Christian Instructed, 17th edition, p. 272-273.

Who Do We Reverence by Keeping Sunday Holy?
“It was the Catholic church which…has transferred this rest to Sunday in remembrance of the resurrection of our Lord. Therefore the observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the (Catholic) church.” — Monsignor Louis Segur, Plain Talk About the Protestantism of Today, p. 213.

“I have repeatedly offered $1,000 to anyone who can prove to me from the Bible alone that I am bound to keep Sunday holy. There is no such law in the Bible. It is a law of the holy Catholic Church alone. The Bible says, ‘Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.' The Catholic Church says: ‘No. By my divine power I abolish the Sabbath day and command you to keep holy the first day of the week.' And lo! The entire civilized world bows down in a reverent obedience to the command of the holy Catholic Church.” — father T. Enright, C.S.S.R. of the Redemptoral College, Kansas City, in a lecture at Hartford, Kansas, February 18, 1884, printed in History of the Sabbath, p. 802.Hover here for a document clip or select for the full original image.

Who Made Sunday Holy?
“Perhaps the boldest thing, the most revolutionary change the Church ever did, happened in the first century. The holy day, the Sabbath, was changed from Saturday to Sunday. ‘The day of the Lord' was chosen, not from any direction noted in the Scriptures, but from the (Catholic) Church's sense of its own power…People who think that the Scriptures should be the sole authority, should logically become 7th Day Adventists, and keep Saturday holy.” — St. Catherine Church Sentinel, Algonac, Michigan, May 21, 1995.

“Question - Which is the Sabbath day?
“Answer - Saturday is the Sabbath day.
“Question - Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
“Answer - We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea (A.D. 364), transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.” — Peter Geiermann, C.S.S.R., The Convert's Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, p. 50, 3rd edition, 1957.

Does the Bible support the change to Sunday?
“Is not every Christian obliged to sanctify Sunday and to abstain on that day from unnecessary servile work? Is not the observance of this law among the most prominent of our sacred duties? But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify.” — James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of Our Fathers (1917 edition), p. 72-73 (16th Edition, p 111; 88th Edition, p. 89).

“For example, nowhere in the Bible do we find that Christ or the Apostles ordered that the Sabbath be changed from Saturday to Sunday. We have the commandment of God given to Moses to keep holy the Sabbath day, that is the 7th day of the week, Saturday. Today most Christians keep Sunday because it has been revealed to us by the [Roman Catholic] church outside the Bible.” — Catholic Virginian, October 3, 1947, p. 9, article “To Tell You the Truth.”

Whose Day of Worship is Sunday?
“It is well to remind the Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, and all other Christians, that the Bible does not support them anywhere in their observance of Sunday. Sunday is an institution of the Roman Catholic Church, and those who observe the day observe a commandment of the Catholic Church.” — Priest Brady, in an address reported in The News, Elizabeth, New Jersey, March 18, 1903.

“They [the Protestants] deem it their duty to keep the Sunday holy. Why? Because the Catholic Church tells them to do so. They have no other reason…The observance of Sunday thus comes to be an ecclesiastical law entirely distinct from the divine law of Sabbath observance…The author of the Sunday law…is the Catholic Church.” — Ecclesiastical Review, February 1914.

Why do we find the Catholic Church making fun of Sunday keeping Protestants in the above quotes? Because the Catholic Church through murder and persecution became the only Church in existence for hundreds of years known as the dark ages. As Martin Luther and others found out that the Papal Church was the first beast of Revelation 13, the Protestant reformation got under way. But the problem was that the fourth Commandment was nearly completely lost by the time this happened. As these Protestants discovered that antichrist was the Roman Catholic Church, they began all these new Protestant Churches but after so many centuries of persecution, they continued keeping the pagan day Sunday for worship in ignorance. If the Catholic Church had not changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday, we would all be worshipping on Saturday today.

James 2:10-12 says, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.”

Every single person will be judged by the mighty moral code of the Ten Commandments. To break just one is to be guilty of sin. The Bible demonstrates that the Ten Commandments are like a chain of ten links. When one link is broken, the whole chain is broken. Those who stand in the judgment will have to meet the acid test of the Ten Commandments. If a practicing thief should seek entrance into the kingdom, he would be rejected. This is why Paul says thieves will not inherit the heavenly city. Furthermore, the Bible specifically declares that idolaters, adulterers, liars and covetous men will not be in the kingdom. Why? Because the Ten Commandments forbid those things and men will be judged finally by this law. Not one single person will be admitted into heaven who is WILFULLY (Hebrews 10:26-29) violating any one of the Ten Commandments because breaking anyone of the Ten Commandments is breaking them all. We find a good example of this in Exodus 16:4-30. Just like today, these non-Jews thought that God did not mean what He said when He said the Seventh day. So how did God respond to them? He accused them of breaking ALL His Commandments and laws.

Some may object that this is making works the basis of entering the kingdom. Not so. This is making love the qualifying factor. Jesus said that the greatest Commandment of all is to love God supremely. Quoting from the second of the Ten Commandments, Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my Commandments.” John 14:15. Those who practice any known sin are really confessing that they do not love God with all their heart, soul and mind. So it is the lack of love that shuts them out and not the act of disobedience that exposes that lack. Only when love is motivating the obedience does it become acceptable to God. Any other work is man's vain attempt to earn salvation and to deny the efficacy of Christ's atoning sacrifice.

We should now realize that the Ten Commandments do not change based on assumptions. If something as vital as the Ten Commandments that define love and sin were to change, then God would have VERY clear scriptures saying so. We know we can rule out was the Sabbath changed to Sunday in the Bible but are there scriptures (there should be many) that say the fourth Commandment is abolished? If the answer is no, then it is just as much sin to not keep the Seventh day Holy as it is to murder. Those with wisdom reading this now will also realize that Satan is behind both this change and those who attack this truth and with very good reason. So what should we do now?

Acts 5:29 “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.”